Commentary Article: New Rogernomics

[New Rogernomics]

Commentary

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Lazarus through the looking glass
An examination of Lazarene identity
By: New Rogernomics

Lazarus as a region has a major question to answer, which is the fundamental question of what its regional culture will be, and in which direction the regional will grow, either towards an open society, a closed one, or a much more militant one. Each of these possibilities have advantages or disadvantages, and how these possibilities will be approached matters as well. Lazarus has had a historical reference point for each of these types of societal models, meaning from the People's of Republic of Lazarus, the Humane Republic of Lazarus, the Undead Dominion, and now finally Lazarus at its present point - which is as yet undecided.

The first objective viewpoint might be to revive one of these past points of reference, the easiest choice to the minds of many, but is it really, as establishing any regional culture is not the matter of just switching on a theme, but rather switching on a viewpoint. The issue that Lazarus has had with such a point of view is that regional culture does not come out of a vacuum, but by painful and tiring efforts by individuals or groups of people within the region, to push it forward, even with deep regional opposition. That said, it is easy to confuse opposition with naysayers, and to assume that because people heavily oppose the regional culture idea that they are the enemy, rather than concerned citizens doubting the direction that the region is taking - and feeling no worth in that direction.

As it stands Lazarus is at the cross-roads of regional policy and culture development, and while I've been waiting, it seems nothing has appeared to establish this beyond the basics of LazCorp. So maybe this article of mine is more of a wakeup call for a region, which is that a few cannot forge a regional culture alone, and while the gatekeepers of the region have achieved stability, without a regional culture to support it when those gatekeepers depart or lower their guard, chaos can result.

So, it is obvious that Lazarus cannot continue the status quo forever and must adapt a cultural identity that citizens can rally around and defend. Some banner for a citizen militia (or more accurately the civil society) to hold, to act as a barrier not only against division and chaos, but to help the region grow culturally and in terms of political or foreign policy objectives. Likewise, if a regional culture is to develop, it must hold meaning to the residents and citizens of Lazarus, well into the future, and have people in the present prepared and willing to dedicate the time to bring it forward into the light. So here comes the point where this article deviates into possibilities, what could Lazarus do to enhance itself, what sort of culture could develop, a closed society or an open one.

If Lazarus opts for a closed society, then some might be reminded of The Empire, or the New Lazarene Order, or the New Pacific Order itself, and depending on your point of view the People's Republic of Lazarus - as it did not exactly have a fond view of raiders and had ousted many powerful figures of the old regional order of Lazarus. There are options with this regional identity, in that we could perhaps establish an elite organization, hidden behind closed doors as a secret society or out in the open, shrouded in mystery and intent, except to the initiated. This would not be without consequences however, as a closed society could easily develop into a foreign relations faux pas, with regions suspicious and resentful of the new status quo, and unwilling to work with a region operating in the shadows with objectives only known to its elite.

Alternatively, if Lazarus opts for an open society, then there is the pre-Lazarus order to follow of letting anyone into the region and going with the flow of raiders or defenders holding the delegacy. Then regimes like the Humane Republic of Lazarus, which were active but politically divided, and finally the Celestial Union, which while being a regional culture based around its mandate, had no popular following strong enough to make its culture prosper, and carried through the political divisions building for years from the Humane Republic.

Though the problem in either scenario of adapting an old order is that repeating history and hoping for a different outcome, is a good definition of insanity, as to merely copy the past, also copies the problems that existed in those societies into a new iteration of Lazarus. It would be hard to approach a fully open position as well, as trading all stability for activity is not something any UCR or GCR should have to gamble. This debate can be really a vicious cycle without end, as right answers are hard to come by, as neither strategy is inherently bad, and each region approaches it differently. Most regions, UCRs and GCRs, might be argued to adapt parts of an open society, alongside parts of a closed society, and to not approach either position from an extreme point of view, with a few exceptions of course, like the previously stated New Pacific Order under Francoist thought for instance.

Lazarus therefore has the decision to make between building an elite guard and strong regionalist identity to support it, building an open system around a civil society, or to establish some approach meshing the two. At that point Lazarus can finally answer the fundamental question, "what does Lazarus see through the looking glass?", and perhaps build a long-lasting cultural identity with all its quirks and absurdities, whether that identity is going to be meritocratic, democratic, or autocratic, the region must be the judge.

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